NRW Trophy Single & Pair Skating Dortmund, Germany / 4th of December - 8th of December

When:

4th of December - 8th of December

Location:

Eissportzentrum Westfahlen / Strobelallee 32, 44139 Dortmund, Germany

Tickets:

TBA (usually around 50 Euro for an All Event)

How to reach:

From the main trainstation just take U45 until Westfahlenhallen. From there its just a small walk of about 5 minutes. There is a large parking area too, so if you come by car, you should be fine as well.

Side note:

The practice rink is outside, but easily accessible and covered by a roof. There is also a small "restaurant" inside where you can eat & drink.

This Hotel offers single, double, triple and family rooms for up to 4 members. The breakfast is usually served around 7-10 AM, it is very good but must be paid extra on arrival. ( 7.50 Euro each ) The rooms are a bit noisy, but skating fans don't spend much time in them anyways. If you come by car, you can use the free parking service directly at the hotel (first come - first serve) - if you arrive very late it can happen that you wont find a free spot.

In case you prefer traveling without a car, then it is also very easy to reach by using the local "Stadtbahn", which departs from the main trainstation (Dortmund Hauptbahnhof), just look for the big blue U and board the tram with the number 45 until Stadtgarten, where you change into the U 42 in direction (Hormbuch) and leave at Theodor Fliedner Heim. The Hotel is just across the street.

This Hotel is run by a local family, therefore it offers a different experience than of a big hotel company. The staff is very friendly and usually has some time to chat if you want to know more about Dortmund, like some tips for sightseeing etc. Breakfast is 9 Euro and tastes very good, they also have a restaurant offering typical German Food. The hotel offers single and double rooms and can easily be reached by "Stadtbahn", take number 45 at Dortmund main station and leave at "Westfahlenhallen", from there it is a 10 minute walk.

Compared to Gildenhof this is the total opposite, a very large complex building, with fitness rooms, solarium, special food service (for those with a diet) etc. What I always loved about Steigenberger is the room service, you just order your breakfast in the evening and they bring it to your room. Very nice for those that like to sleep long and prefer eating in bed. Parking fee is 12 Euro a day and you don't need to book those in advance. Rooms are quite big, you usually have a table and some chairs, so that you can do some work like me writing an article about the NRW Trophy
The hotel also offers a terrace where you can take a seat, WLan does cost a fee and lunch packet´s can be ordered as well.

Again you can reach the hotel by taking U45 until "Westfahlenhallen". You should be able to see the hotel after going up the stairs.

While the most expensive hotel, it also is the closest to the ice rink. Its just 5 minutes and can as well be reached by taking the U45 from the Dortmund main station. The hotel does offer room service including breakfast, a pool, massage´s, steam bath etc. Wlan is free, money exchange possible and you can even book a suite for 250 Euro. I have been in different rooms there, some were really small but also a lot cheaper, while others more expensive and larger. After checking their website today, I did not find any offers for those cheaper rooms, so either they are already sold out or no longer available at the hotel.

Room Price is 110 - 250 Euro a Night.

To note is that there is also a Hotel Pullman, right next to Steigenberger. I never used that hotel before so I cant give you any information about it.

Ill keep the thread updated and also apply for a media accreditation, if granted I will be able to report about the event directly from the ice rink.

A broadcast in TV is very unlikely, unfortunately figure skating does not get much support of the local media in Germany :(, but the guys at Dortmund most likely offer you either a live video stream and / or a big video archive where you can catch up with every single performance of the event.

Looks like a tough competition for the Pairs this year, I am missing some names at the Senior Ladies, especially those that came every year. No Helgesson sisters, no finnish girls either :( but Fleur in her maybe? last season and Polina from Russia.

There are also some interesting names in the juniors bracket for Russia and Italy, I am very curious about those!

Regarding tickets, no news yet.

In case there isn't a presale this year, you can buy them directly at the Ice Rink. There are always a few girls selling them, just go up the stairs to the right from the entrance, there is a double door and right behind it the tickets are sold.

I am very happy to announce that I have received a positive reply regarding my request for a media accreditation!

I also have the ticket presale details for you.

As in the last year you can buy tickets in advance. Those will grant you a guaranteed seat during the competition. However, you can also buy tickets on the day of your arrival at the ticket counter (open one hour before the competition starts). Keep in mind though, there is a limit of tickets available - so to play it safe I would advice to book your tickets in advance.